Purebred Breeders: Camping with your Dog

 

Purebred Breeders knows how exciting a family camping trip can be.  Why not have your dog come along for the family fun?  Here are some tips for making camping with your dog a success.

• Find a dog-friendly campsite
• Don’t assume. Make sure that the campgrounds you are choosing accepts animals, some may even require a health or rabies certificate.
• Do a vet check before traveling
• The veterinarian will be able to evaluate your dog’s fitness level and advise you if he or she is healthy enough for travel and camping excursions. It is also important that all of your dog’s vaccinations be up-to-date, as well as rabies shots. 
• Make sure to keep your dog’s exercise during this trip compatible for what is suitable for its size, ability and fitness level.  A Chihuahua is less likely to keep up with you on a hiking trail than a Labrador Retriever, so do not expect it to.
• Know your flora
• Some plants, vegetables, fruits, and flowers can be toxic or deadly for your dog to consume.  Petiquette Dog offers a list of such plants to watch out for.
• Bring a leash
• As is applicable in most social situations, having your dog under your control puts other campers at ease.  Not everyone is receptive to animals and having a dog walk into their campsite, bark at them or intimidate them in some way is not acceptable.
• Doggie bags
• Clean up after your dog for both etiquette and sanitary reasons.
• First aid kit
• In the event that your dog gets hurt while camping, a first aid kit can be helpful in treating minor cuts or scrapes, also include in the kit a pair of tweezers for removing thorns.
• Tie up your dog at night
• This is both for your protection as well as that of your four-legged family member.  Tying your dog up at night will assure your dog’s safety by not allowing it to run after critters in the night.  It will also serve for your family’s protection so that nothing will catch you unexpectedly in the middle of the night without notice.
• Water bowl (portable)
• In hot weather, just like you and I, your dog is more prone to dehydration so having a water bowl near the tent or a portable one for walks and hikes is a good idea.
• Pack a dog bed
• Though some dogs can sleep comfortably outside and in warm weather, if your trip is nearing the winter months, a dog bed will be necessary to protect them for the chilly ground.
• ID your dog
• Your dog should already be ID-ed but when bringing your dog into unknown territory with other animals that he might be distracted by, this is even more crucial.  Consider microchipping your pet if you have not already done so.
• Don’t leave the dog unattended inside the tent.
• All of your camping gear is stored here, if your dog has behavioral issues leaving them unattended can destroy an entire camping trip.  Pack dog toys and doggie snacks to avoid chewing on camping gear/apparel.
• Notify someone where you are going
• This is a general camping tip, make sure a friend, a ranger, or a fellow camper knows where you will be.  Do not rely on your cell phone as your battery could die, your phone could fall, etc.  Leaving without letting someone know where you are going and when you will be returning is irresponsible and could lead to a longer delay time before a search is organized in the unfortunate event that something does go wrong.

We hope that the information provided has given you some insight into what goes into creating an awesome camping experience for all the members of your family, including the dog.  From Purebred Breeders:  HAPPY CAMPING!!

Purebred Breeders: Dye/Paint your Dog's Hair

Want to dye your dog’s hair?

Just like we get tired of our hairstyles, we sometimes feel like our furry companions might need a little spicing up as well, other than the usual grooming.  Purebred Breeders is offering an easy and safe way to temporarily add some color into your dog’s look.

           

What you will need:

• Food coloring or unsweetened Kool-aid powder
• Room temperature water
• Spray bottle
• Dog brush
• Towels

Directions:

1. Before you begin, make sure the dog is clean.  Pick a food coloring or Kool-aid powder that matches the color you are trying to achieve.
2. Mix the coloring or powder with room-temperature water and place the mix in a spray bottle.
3. Saturate the hair with the water mix.
4.  Brush through the hair with a comb or brush to ensure even saturation.
5. You can choose to either blow-dry the hair on a low setting or to let the dog dry naturally.  Remember to place the dog in an area covered with towels during the drying process, as the colored water could drip onto a surface that is stainable.

 

WARNING:  

Never use on a dog a hair dye that is meant for humans!  Avoid the area around your dog’s eyes when coloring the hair.

Tips: 

If you are dying your dog’s hair in different colors, make a few spray bottles with the different colored ‘dyes’ and if the hair is long enough, tie the sections as you dye them to prevent the colors from bleeding.

For detailed designs, use a brush or squirt bottle if necessary.

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For more information on Purebred Breeders, visit PurebredBreeders.com

A Purebred Breeders Thanksgiving: Homemade Treats!

Many of the foods humans consume are toxic to our dog companions, so this year for Thanksgiving don’t give them scraps while you’re at the table.  Instead, PurebredBreeders.com is providing you with recipes for homemade Thanksgiving treats you can make especially for your four-legged friend.

 

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Homemade Dog Treat Recipe
Turkey Treats

2 cups cooked turkey -- cut up
2 cloves garlic
4 teaspoons grated cheese
1 tablespoon parsley -- freshly chopped
2 egg
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons brewer's yeast
2 tablespoons vegetable oil 

Combine turkey, garlic, cheese, parsley and mix well. Beat the eggs in a bowl and pour over turkey mixture. Add the flour, yeast, and oil. Stir until thoroughly mixed and all ingredients are coated. Drop into small lumps onto ungreased cookie sheet. Cook in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes, until brown and firm. Store in refrigerator.

(Recipe from Bullwrinkle)

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Homemade Dog Treat Recipe
Thanksgiving Treat

2 lbs. ground turkey
2 eggs
2 cups cooked rice
8 oz. peas
3 carrots, diced
1 apple, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix well by hand. On baking sheet, form into the shape of a large dog bone. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Let cool and serve. 

(Recipe from Bullwrinkle)

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Pumpkin Dog Treats

Ingredients:
1/2 c. canned pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling!)
4 tbsp molasses
4 tbsp water
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Blend all of the wet ingredients (pumpkin, molasses, vegetable oil, water) together.
3. Add the dry ingredients (wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon) and stir until a soft dough forms.
4. Grab the dough by teaspoonfuls and roll it into balls with your hands (hint: wet hands work best). Drop the balls onto a cookie sheet/pizza pan and flatten them with a fork.
5. Bake until hard (approximately 25 min.). If you want them a bit crispier, you can just turn off your oven and let them cool in there overnight.
Happy Holidays!

(Recipe from Dog Treat Recipes)

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Make any of these recipes and your dog will be saying his share of thanks as well.  Have a great Thanksgiving, on behalf of PurebredBreeders.com

Purebred Breeders LLC asks: Do you look like your dog?

A group of 70 non-dog owners were asked to match photos of 41 dog owners to three possible breeds — Labrador, poodle or Staffordshire bull terrier.  Their guesses were right on.

People could guess pretty successfully just by looking at the owner what breed of dog a person might own, a new study finds.

There is a whole site dedicated to the subject of resembling your dog www.doyoulooklikeyourdog.com complete with video competitions and all.  Here is one video submission from Judy and her toy poodle, Gaby:

So, do you look like your dog?  And do you think people choose pets that have similar characteristics as themselves or that these traits are picked up over time?

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For more information on Purebred Breeders LLC, visit PurebredBreeders.com

$1,000 meal for a Dog??

Purebred Breeders has heard of weird things dogs have eaten before, but this story is unique!  A married couple in St. Augustine, Joe and Christy Lawrenson, have been saving to pay off their car, and so every time they collect $1,000 they take it to the bank to deposit the money.  Two weeks ago, before they had a chance to take the saved funds to the bank, their dog Tuity, a lab, chow and bulldog mix apparently got a hold of the envelope. 

After finding pieces of the hundred dollar bills scattered on the floor when returning to the house for lunch, they realized Tuity had snatched the cash and had eaten it.  Tuity was given peroxide to induce vomiting and the couple was then able to piece together $900 of the $1,000 when the dog regurgitated the bills.  However, the serial numbers from the last $100 bill were unrecoverable, so they have sent it to the Department of Treasury explaining the situation in hopes of getting reimbursed for the amount.

“We just keep our money away from her now,” Joe Lawrenson said.

For more information on Purebred Breeders, visit us at PurebredBreeders.com

Puppies vs Babies

Purebred Breeders is always looking new and interesting things revolving around our dog friends.  So when we came across the Puppies vs. Babies contest by Animal Planet, which is now open for voting, we were immediately intrigued.  

Puppies vs. Babies!  It is a battle of adorable proportions!!   

There will be three rounds of voting, the final round will consist of the top puppy and top baby competing head on.  Voting will be open until November 23, 2011 at 11:59pm.  A $5,000 cash prize will be awarded to each Grand Prize Finalist.

What do you think of the contest?  And if you’re voting, who are you voting for? 

Of course if you can imagine, as we are Purebred Breeders, our vote may be a bit biased.  

For more information about Purebred Breeders LLC or if you are looking for a puppy to include into your family, visit us at PurebredBreeders.com